[edit] Introduction

Girl Genius is a comic book series[1] created by Phil and Kaja Foglio [2]. It started out as a print comic in 2000[3], then was set up on the web in 2002.[4][5] Currently, the story updates on the web first, then is collected for printing in graphic novel form. The print comic is currently up to Volume 8; the webcomic is in Volume 9. Pages are loaded on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, usually just after midnight, US Eastern time.

[edit] The Comic

Girl Genius mixes elements of steampunk with an alternate history of Europe, and set it in a semi-Victorian era. The Foglios call it "gaslamp fantasy":

Okay, what's a "Gaslamp Fantasy?"

Influences include Jules Verne and H. Rider Haggard. Expect big, clanking Victorian-style tech, old-fashioned clothes, Frankenstein monsters and airships. Lots and lots of airships. Is it magic? Is it science? A little of both, I suppose–it's Mad Science.[6]

In 2008, Girl Genius won three Web Cartoonist Choice awards: Outstanding Comic, Outstanding Writer, and Outstanding Environment Design.[7] Phil Foglio was nominated for a Hugo Award in 2008 (Best Professional Artist)[8], and the comic was nominated for Best Graphic Story in 2009.[9]

In August, 2009, Phil and Kaja Foglio were presented the Hugo Award in the new category, Best Graphic Story, for their work on Girl Genius, Volume 8.[10]

[edit] The Canon

It has been 18 years since the famous, altruistic Heterodyne boys, Bill and Barry, disappeared while fighting the forces of a mysterious villain called "the Other". Agatha Clay, a student at Transylvania Polygnostic Institute, is accosted by two soldiers on her way to classes. They steal her heirloom locket--given to her by her uncle, Barry--which had been suppressing her intellect, making her seem stupid and clumsy. The loss of the locket allows her to realize her full potential as a mad scientist, or "Spark". She is taken to the airship of Baron Klaus Wulfenbach, the most powerful ruler in all of Europa, and also the most powerful Spark in the region. There, she meets Gilgamesh Wulfenbach, the Baron's son and heir. She also meets Othar Tryggvassen, Gentleman Adventurer, whose sworn goal in life is to kill all Sparks, including himself.

Her guardians, two "contructs" she knows as Adam and Lilith Clay, catch up with her on the Baron's airship, Castle Wulfenbach, and attempt to rescue her. In the attempt, Agatha's true heritage is revealed. She is the daughter of Bill Heterodyne and his wife, Lucrezia Mongfish Heterodyne. Her guardians are identified as the constructs Punch and Judy, loyal servants of the Heterodynes. They sacrifice themselves to save her, and she is actually rescued by another construct: Krosp, the emperor of all cats.

Escaping from Castle Wulfenbach, the airship that they have taken crashes, and they meet up with a traveling Heterodyne show. The show's swordmistress, Zeetha, takes Agatha under her wing, teaching her fighting skills in order to keep her safe. Along the way, Agatha also meets three Jägerkin: Dimo, Ognian, and Maxim. These monstrous-looking supersoldiers are "wild" Jägers who are not in the provisional service of Baron Wulfenbach. Their purpose was to look for an heir to the Heterodyne house. Once they realize she is the one they have been searching for, they become her protectors.

[edit] Terminology

Below is a list of terms and their definitions that are used in this fan community.

Sparks: mad-scientists.
mad-boy, -girl: derogatory term for a Spark.
clanks: self-propelled machines built for specific purposes, akin to a robot or android.
construct: a thinking, living being created from the parts of the dead. Akin to Frankenstein's monster.
Dingbot: a particular type of clank created by Agatha. It is small, versatile, and self-replicating.
zumil: the entire term is "kolee-dok-zumil". It is a Skifandarian term that indicates a bond closer than sisters--the most accurate translation would be "grindstone and knife". Zeetha bestows it on Agatha at the start of her warrior training.
The Other: a mysterious villain who devastated Europa in the years before Agatha's birth.
slaver wasp: an insect-like creature that, when introduced to humans, makes them zombie-like slaves of the Other.
hive engine: An incubator-like structure that encloses the creature capable of generating a slaver wasp swarm.
Geisterdammen: A race of pale, warrior women who worship the Other in its guise of Lucrezia Mongfish.
Jägers, Jägerkin: A race of wild, long-lived warriors created by the old Heterodynes as foot soldiers. They are bound to the Heterodyne family by the Jägertroth, though the majority of them currently work for Baron Wulfenbach until a Heterodyne heir is found and confirmed.

[edit] Timeline

Below is a partial timeline of events that took place in this fan community.